Why preventive care is important

Remember the old saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? This can be especially true when it comes to preventive health care. Maintaining or improving your health is important - and a focus on regular preventive care, along with following the advice of your doctor, can help you stay healthy.

Just what America needs: Pizza vending machines

Jun 14, 2012 Viewed: 481

Ever have a sudden urge for crisp-crusted, ooey-gooey, cheesy pizza? You want it STAT. Not in the time it takes to preheat the oven to 500 degrees for a frozen pizza. Not in the 20 minutes it takes for the pizza delivery guy to arrive. And certainly not in however many hours it would take to make homemade dough and marinara sauce.

Get ready for Let’s Pizza, a pizza vending machine that promises to deliver a piping hot pizza pie made from scratch in less than three minutes.

The brainchild of Italian entrepreneur Claudio Torghel, the machine will be distributed by A1 Concepts, based out of the Netherlands. It’s expected to hit our shores later this year, according to the industry website Pizza Marketplace. The company is expected to set up its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta.

What is remarkable about the new machine is that it truly makes pizzas to order, including kneading and rolling out the dough. (The above video says the leavening takes place in a blistering hot infra-red oven.) There are more than 200 toppings from which to choose. The machine can even accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions, such as those for vegetarian and Kosher diets.

“Let’s Pizza is a huge success in Europe and especially in Italy. That was proof for us that we have a very good pizza,” A1 Concepts Chief Executive Ronald Rammer told Pizza Marketplace.

Cons of pizza and pasta restaurants
- There is always the risk of eating more than 2 or 3 slices of pizza. If you know extra pieces will be left over, ask for a container and pack them up before you start eating.
- Do not order extra cheese, pepperoni, or sausage. They are quite high in calories and fat.
- High fat toppings are also high in sodium.
- If the restaurant promotes more toppings, bigger pizzas, or extra cheese just for a few more cents, ignore the promotion. You will pay much more when trying to get rid of the effects of the extra calories.
- Do not order pasta with creamy cheese sauces. Tomato sauce is a healthier choice for your pasta
- Pasta portions can be quite large. Order from the child’s menu or ask for a doggy bag and pack half of the past served to take it home.
- If you are watching your calories, be aware that breadsticks and garlic bread have a lot of fat.

The pizza arrives in an insulated take-away box. The machine takes cash and credit cards. A 10-inch pizza will sell for about $5.95.

Rammer said Americans could expect to see the new machines at malls, airports, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, universities, gas stations and bus stations.

Pizza was originated in Greece, as a part of the Mediterranean cuisine. However, this pizza looked a little different than our pizza today. Originally, it was a dough and tomato dish – flat rolled dough, sprinkled with oils, herbs, honey, and tomato, that resembled more of a pita bread with very light toppings. Later, Romans created what was called a placenta, and was a sheet of dough topped with honey, cheese, and bay leaves. In the 16th century, a Naples flat bread was referred to as pizza, which was considered food for the poor people and sold on the street. This “pizza” was not even allowed to be made in a kitchen at this time, as it was not worthy of a kitchen recipe. During these times, pizza was mostly covered in a tomato sauce with light oil and fish. It wasn’t until 1889 when the first cheese was added to pizza, making the first ever Pizza Margherita, a pizza made to represent the colors or the Italian flag.

Think about the history of pizza for a moment. Compare what the Italians and Greeks were eating back then with what Americans are eating now. Then, compare the Italians and Greeks health with the health of Americans now.

But perhaps the single best thing about Let’s Pizza, according to the above video? The lack of the human touch.

At several points in the above presentation, the makers stress cleanliness: Your “healthy and genuine pizza” is “untouched by human hands” and made in a “human-free environment.”

That would sound a little bit weird ... if we weren’t drooling over the notion of piping hot pizza made from scratch.

One of the main ingredients of pizza is the tomato, which contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Lycopene is known to help fight many different types of cancer. Studies have shown that people who eat pizza at least once a week were much less likely to develop colon and mouth cancer as well as stomach and lung cancer. It is known to be especially helpful in fighting prostate cancer. Studies have shown that eating pizza can lower your chance of developing esophageal cancer by nearly 59%.

It is the tomato that is the main cancer-fighting ingredient of pizza. Incredibly, studies have also shown that processed tomatoes such as those found in pizza or spaghetti sauce are actually higher in lycopene than fresh tomatoes. The reason for this is that during the process of cooking and processing the tomatoes, the water content evaporates leaving a higher concentration of the antioxidant.

Tomato sauce is extremely healthy, and for this reason so is pizza, but there are additional pizza toppings that can also enhance your health. Onions are rich in chromium, vitamin C, and fiber. They help to lower your blood sugar, cholesterol as well as blood pressure. Black olives are another great addition to pizza. Olives contain ingredients that help ward off heart disease and lower your cholesterol. The red pepper is a great pizza topping. They are sweet and tasty as well as full of Vitamin C, A, and B6.

It's easy to make a financial decision based on what you need right now, but making an informed choice will benefit you in the long run. Meet a former Red Sox pitcher who picked security over an uncertain future